Container seal



W. T. STROM CONTAINER SEAL Sept. 27, 1955 Filed 001;. 2, 1951 2 m ET 8 IT M W M M M W United States Patent CONTAINER SEAL William T. Strom, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to William H. Robinson, Miamisburg, Ohio, doing business as Buckeye Molding Company Application October 2, 1951, Serial No. 249,286

7 Claims. (Cl. 220-60) The present invention relates to containers and closures therefor, and more particularly deals with a watertight container seal. The container seal of the present invention is characterized by the fact that it may be broken and reestablished repeatedly without damage, whereby the container may be used over long periods of time irrespective of the number of times which it may be opened.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the container takes the form of a capsule comprising a body portion and a cover portion. The cover portion is arranged to slip over the mouth of the body portion and effect engagement therewith by means of a plurality of complementary grooves and beads, whereby the cover portion is maintained securely and in sealed relation upon the body portion. Sealing contact is provided in a highly effective manner against leakage either into or out of the container through the provision of multiple lines or areas on the respective grooves and beads spaced apart from each other and thus forming a plurality of spaced sealing zones.

The nature of the present invention in typical embodiments thereof will be fully comprehended from the following description taken in connection with the annexed drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a form of the invention comprising a capsule having a body portion and a cover portion;

Fig. 2 is an exploded view, partly in cross-section, which illustrates the complementary beads and grooves on the body and cover portions;

Fig. 3 is an elevational cross-sectional view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlargement of a portion of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but showing a modified form of sealing bead; and

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but showing another modified form of sealing bead.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, 10 is a container comprising a body portion 11 and a cover portion 12. In the typical embodiment illustrated, the cover portion 12 is provided with a head 13 and a groove 14 spaced therefrom and arranged to cooperate with a groove 15 and a bead 16, respectively, similarly spaced apart on the body portion 11.

The cover portion 12 is provided with a rim 17 along the outer surface of its openend which is preferably made thicker or stiffer than the remainder thereof for the purpose of facilitating the removal of the cover from the body portion 11 by providing a gripping area or lip.

It is not necessary that the cover fit tightly over the wall of the body portion and it is found desirable to provide clearance between the parallel walls of cover and body portions as indicated at 18 in Figs. 3 and 4. This clearance prevents the compression of air within the container during the assembly of the cover and body portions. As the cover is moved from the position of 2,718,980 Patented Sept. 27, 1955 Fig. 2 toward the closed position of Fig. 3, and the volumetric capacity of the container is thereby reduced, air is expelled through the clearance space until the final sealing position is reached and the complementary beads and grooves engage one another. Normal atmospheric pressure is thus preserved within the container, and the possibility of disturbance of the sealing engagement between the cover and body due to internal air pressure is prevented.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 4, it Will be seen that the rounded bead 16 is made of larger radius than groove 14 with which it engages, the result being that a pair of annular lines or zones of contact of limited area are established where the covers of the groove meet the curved surface of the bead. This arrangement possesses the dual advantage of providing two separate lines or zones of sealing engagement, and of concentrating the available sealing force along relatively sharp lines forming narrow pressure sealing zones spaced apart from each other.

The arrangement shown in Fig. 4 for bead 16 and groove 14 is representative also of bead 13 and groove 15, so that a total of four individual seals is, in efiect, provided at the two sealing levels for insuring the protection of delicate and valuable articles held within the container. 7

The construction embodying a bead having a contour different from that of the groove in which it is received and seats in the assembled position of the parts of the container provides seals at two levels along the length of the container and has the further advantage of preventing lateral cocking of the cover with respect to the body about either of the sealing levels, thus removing another possibility of a broken seal. When thedoubleline sealing contact is established at, say, bead 16 and groove 14, the parts are held firmly against lateral cocking by the simultaneous establishment of sealing contact at bead 13 and groove 15. This protective relation is,

of course, mutual between the two sealing levels.

It is to be understood that the relation of the groove and bead shown in Fig. 4 may be achieved through the use of beads and grooves having modified cross-sectional forms, such as those illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. In Fig. 5, for example, it will be seen that a two double zone sealing contact may be provided by the engagement of a bead of truncated V-form with a semi-circular groove having the proper dimensional proportions. The

seal thus effected is essentially the same as that already described. Similar results are obtained through the use of the complementary V-shaped bead and groove shown in Fig. 6. In this arrangement the angle at the apex of the bead is greater than that at the apex of the groove. It is obvious that still other variations in the forms of complementary beads and grooves may be provided within the scope of the present invention.

In a preferred form of the invention, the container and cover therefor are molded of a transparent or translucent pliable plastic material. This makes it possible easily to examine the contents and facilitates the engagement of the cover portion with the body portion in sealing engagement.

While the invention has been illustrated in the form of a capsule, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to such form. Any shape of container having a round mouth portion adapted to receive a slip-over type of closure, may be provided with the complementary grooves and beads and will prove satisfactory.

The container of the present invention, provided with a tight seal as hereinbefore set forth and illustrated in the drawing, finds use in many fields. One of the outstanding uses is for storing and packaging delicate pieces of electronic materials such as quartz crystals and the like,

and as a container for small parts such as chronometer and watch jewels, ball bearings, springs, and the like small and delicate parts of precision instruments.

While the present invention has been described herein and illustrated in the drawing in a present embodiment by way of illustration, it will be understood that it may take other forms within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A container comprising a cover portion and a body portion, said cover portion being provided with a groove adjacent its open end and a bead spaced therefrom, and said body portion being provided with a groove adjacent its open end and a bead spaced therefrom'adapted to interfit with said cover bead and groove respectively, said beads and grooves on said cover and said body being of different and. non-matching contours and so arranged that they cooperate with each other in sealing engagement in a pair of spaced apart lines of contact at each inter-fitting engagement when the cover is placed as a closure over the open end of the body.

2. A container as defined in claim 1 including a rim along the outer wall of the open end of said cover portion thicker in cross-section than the adjacent wall portion to facilitate removal of said cover, said rim being maintained spaced outwardly from the body portion when said body portion and said cover portion are in sealing engagement.

3. A capsule comprising a cover and a body, said cover being arranged to slip over the open end of said body, said cover and said body each being provided with complementary annular grooves and beads of diiferent and non-matching contours arranged for interfitting relation to effect sealing engagement of each said groove with its corresponding said head at a plurality of spaced lines of contact when the cover is slipped over said open end of said body.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein the respective wall portions of said cover and said body other than said beads have clearance one from another to allow escape of air from said capsule when said cover is slipped over said body.

5. The combination of claim 3 wherein said cover has both a groove and a head which are adapted to effect sealing engagement with a complementary bead and groove respectively on said body.

6. A container of molded plastic material comprising a body portion and a cover portion adapted to be received in telescoping relation over the open end of said body portion, an annular groove adjacent the open end of at least one of said portions, an annular bead adjacent the open end of the other of said portions adapted to seat in said groove when said two portions are assembled upon each other, the contour of said bead being difierent from and non-matching with that of said groove such that in said seated relation said bead bears against said groove in a pair of spaced lines of contact to establisha pair of spaced sealing zones, the open end of said one of said portions having annular clearance with respect to the open end of the other of said portions when assembled thereon to avoid compression of air within said container.

7. A container of molded plastic material comprising a body portion and a cover portion adapted to be received in telescoping relation over the open end of said body portion, annular grooves adjacent the open ends of each of said portions, beads on each of said portions correspondingly located to be received in said grooves when said two portions are assembled upon each other, the contour of each said bead being difierent from and non-matching with that of the corresponding said grooves such that in seated relation said beads bear against the respective grooves in a plurality of spaced lines of contact to establish multiple spaced sealing zones.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,035,634 Platt Aug. 13, 1912 1,134,427 Ullrich Apr. 6, 1915 2,122,904 Ambrosius July 5, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS 221 Great Britain of 1914 332,889 Italy Dec. 11, 1935 

